Your guide to avoiding email errors
Everyone makes mistakes. But following these steps before sending will help you avoid errors!
Send Classification
- Select Email Framework - Commercial for emails that your recipients can unsubscribe from
- Select Email Framework - Transactional for emails that your recipients can't unsubscribe from (this isn't common)
- When sending a test, make sure the Email Framework send classification includes the following correct information.
- From name
- Reply name
- From email address (Note: this email address will receive out of office replies)
- Reply-to email address (Note: this email address will receive replies to the Marketing Cloud send and should be tested)
- If anything needs adjusted, you'll have to update or request a new brand configuration
Audience data
- Approval from appropriate data steward(s) obtained
- Data extension contains all necessary data fields (columns)
- Data uploaded to data extension is from an accurate source and contains only the intended target audience, checked by examining:
- Total records matches expected number; if unsure, verify with data source or subject matter expert
- Data fields (columns) include expected values needed to correctly define audience upon manual inspection of 2-5 records in data extension
Email content
We recommend you use a render test tool, such as Return Path, Email on Acid, or Litmus, to test and review your email content across many different devices.
If you don’t have access to a render test tool, view your email preview tests on a smartphone, Outlook on Windows (version 2016 and any other versions you can access), Gmail, and any other email client you can test. We also recommend having multiple people review the email if possible.
Subject Line / Preheader
- Subject line and preheader content are correct and don’t have typos
- Most important part is viewable on mobile device (about 25-30 characters)
- If used: Personalization scripts are written correctly and populate intended value when previewed and tested with multiple records in the sending data extension
Email appearance
- Email displays properly across email clients (Outlook, Gmail, Yahoo, etc.)
- Email looks visually optimized when viewed on desktop or mobile devices
- All content blocks display in correct order
- Department name and/or campus (top header) is correct
- Space (padding) is visually appealing and consistent across the:
- Email perimeter (top, sides, bottom of the whole email)
- Content blocks
- Images
- Text
- Line spacing between paragraphs or lists is consistent
- Indentation for numbered/bulleted lists is consistent and correct
- Font type and size are consistent throughout
- Colors for text, titles, or headers are consistent and high-contrast against background
- Links are clearly indicated as clickable by using a button or distinct link styling (underlined and a different color than body font)
Images
- Images that go across the full width of the email are resized to 600px or less before uploading to Marketing Cloud
- Small images resized for template requirements before uploading to Marketing Cloud
- Alternative text describing the content of the image is included for each image for screen reader requirements (do not use filename, e.g. “image.jpg”)
Links
- Intended text is hyperlinked
- Links direct to correct destination web page
- Landing pages and/or forms are active, contain appropriate content, and are mobile-friendly
- Make sure any UTM tracking parameters that are being used are correct and work
Text
- Spelling, grammar, capitalization, and punctuation are correct
- All paragraphs and sentences are present
- Special characters (em dashes, “curly” brackets, quotations, apostrophes, etc.) are accurate and consistent
- Dates, times, locations are verified
- References to specific dates (yesterday, in 2 days, etc.) are correct
- Phone numbers include area codes (e.g. 333-333-3333)
- If used:
- Personalization scripts or Ampscript are written correctly and populate intended value(s) when previewed and tested with records in the sending data extension
- Dynamic content is correctly set up and shows the correct versions when previewed and tested with records in the sending data extension
Footer
- For commercial email sends, unsubscribe link is present
- Correct social media accounts are linked to if applicable